McKnotes: Degrees of separation

Friday

Oct 5, 2012 at 12:01 AMOct 5, 2012 at 12:10 PM

A blog by Rich McKinney

Rich McKinney

I turned on the television the other night and there was a premiere of a new show I had never seen before. They show is called “Partners,” and it deals with two friends who grew up together but go different ways to find their partners. After a while, a new character appeared on the screen. It was Brandon Routh. Brandon played Superman in “Return of Superman.” This guy is so good looking it ought to be outlawed. I don’t actually know Brandon, but his mother was my dancing partner in the opera “Die Fledermaus” a number of years ago. We both attended Simpson College in Iowa. I’m happy to see that Brandon’s career is progressing. It’s a tough business and movie or television roles are not given out just for good looks. He’s obviously a talented young man, no doubt, in part due to his lovely mother, who was involved in the arts herself. Now she’s running for State Senator in Iowa.

I am in touch with a great many people from “past lives.” I taught school for a good many years and am still in touch with former students who were in my classes over 40 years ago. Facebook has helped many of these students find me. I haven’t had to go looking for them. Because of my published music, I was fairly easy to find. For a while if you “Googled” Richard McKinney, I was the first name that popped up. After several years of relative inactivity in the world of music publication, my name doesn’t show up so quickly, and maybe not at all. I really haven’t checked. As I was saying, though, I was pretty visible for a while.

About a year and a half ago I had one of my former students come to Kirksville to sing for the Community Chorus spring concert. Now a full professor with a doctorate in vocal performance and teaching at California State University in Los Angeles, she continues to sing professionally and dazzle audiences with her stunning voice. She is also a superb teacher. I have observed her private lessons and watched her lovingly coach young people to be sometimes better than they have the right to be. She is, to summarize, an amazing person and I’m proud to know her. I visit her in Pasadena when I can, and the bond we have is unbreakable. Susan Mohini Kane is a force to be reckoned with. She’s now writing a book on vocal pedagogy while she continues to spin other plates without ever missing a beat.

When I visit Susan in Pasadena, I also visit Mark in Hollywood. Mark was a student of mine my first year of teaching. He has carved out a place as a jazz singer, impresario and reviewer in the highly competitive Los Angeles arena. His latest recording is a duet album with jazz legend Betty Bryant. Betty, originally from Kansas City, can make any keyboard dance around the room. She is beautiful at over 80 years of age and has not only befriended my former student,Mark, but has graciously befriended me as well.

I hear from various former students every single day of my life. Some of them live right where they did when I first knew them. Others have gone on to various places around the country and even the world. One young man whom I coached when he was only about 10 years old is now a rock singer making his name in Europe.

Of course, when my former students excel in music, I’m especially proud, but others of them have found their niche in other areas. One of them has written and practiced psychology for the aging. One of them has raised eight children, all of whom are musically quite talented and making their way now in the next generation.

Let me be clear. After many years in the classroom, I’ve sent students out to all walks of life. No matter what they choose for their life work, the important thing is that they’re happy and enjoying their life.

I went to public high school in a steel mill town. My best friend at the time headed off to college with me. We had both been awarded scholarships in music. He was my roommate for the first semester of my college years. He became a minister, but has also written a number of excellent inspirational books. Few can tell a story better than he.

One of my good friends from drama class went on to win the Tennessee Williams Playwright Award and was twice named Playwright of the year in the state of Florida. Other high school friends have been artists, doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, mechanics, librarians and on and on. A wide variety of vocations and avocations have lured so many of my friends and associates, and they have succeeded, and often excelled in their chosen areas.

One of my dearest friends works for Alberta, Canada, in Japan. Her daughter is in love with ballet. This summer she was accepted into a summer emersion program in Austin, Texas.

Now I come to the twist in this segment. I don’t write mysteries or “who-done-its,” which take off in unexpected directions at the last minute. I want to talk about autistic people. I haven’t known a great many people who are autistic. It’s a relatively new diagnosis.

Isn’t it funny that the word autistic is so close to the word artistic. I know that I favor artistic abilities. Maybe that’s because I consider myself an artist. That doesn’t mean I see myself as a great artist. Mediocre is fine with me. It has provided me with a more than satisfactory life.

I think that autistic and artistic are closer in more ways than just the spelling of the word. We’re still learning about autism, but the children and adults who fall into this category are not less worthy or delightful or loveable than anyone else. In some ways they are like Down Syndrome individuals. Certainly they are not the same in a clinical way, but I have known many children with Down Syndrome too, and they are most certainly worthy of our love and care. In fact thosewho fall under the category of Down Syndrome or Autism need even more of our love and compassion to fully blossom and become all they can be.

Maybe autism is a special gift. We have to work hard to understand it sometimes. Don’t we also have to work hard to understand artistic people, too. I don’t think I’m all that difficult to understand. Maybe that speaks to my mediocrity. The really brilliant artists require a closer look. We almost have to want to appreciate a Picasso. We have to wait for the death of a Van Gogh to realize the depth of his brilliance. There are musicians and writers and other artists whose talents require a close and informed look in order to garner appreciation.

People with autism can teach us so much. They are interesting people, most often with special talents. We have to ask ourselves if we have the intelligence to love them, care for them and appreciate their value.

If I’ve learned anything in life, it is that our most valuable asset is the people we know. They come in all sizes, shapes and persuasions. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone I couldn’t learn from. People are dear. Tell them.